When it comes to VR gaming, smooth frame rates and responsiveness are the difference between total immersion or total distraction. But how do you ensure that you are getting the best experience when playing VR games? You need a graphics card that is up to the task. That’s why our expert team here at Fierce have put together this guide on selecting the right graphics card for your VR gaming PC. 

How do I check if my graphics card is VR compatible?

Firstly, if you already have your system, you can easily check if your current graphics card is good enough for VR. To verify if your Graphics Card can handle VR gaming, you can download and run the SteamVR performance test or visit the manufacturers website of the VR headset and check the system requirements. 

Do I need a dedicated graphics card for VR gaming? 

Some VR headsets (such as the Meta Quest 3) don’t require a PC to run, but there are benefits to utilizing a PC, such as accessing a larger library of VR games and applications, as well as the ability to play more graphically intensive games that the headset on its own may struggle to run. 

Unlike traditional gaming on a single monitor, when it comes to a VR headset, a GPU is having to work twice as hard, rendering a high-resolution image for both eyes. This means that you need a good, dedicated graphics card that can handle this increased workload. 

If you want to utilize a VR headset but you’re currently running a PC without a dedicated graphics card, then you more than likely won’t be any to run any VR games or applications, as VR software will scan your system hardware and determine if your PC will be able to run VR titles. 

Even some of the lower end graphics card options will not be able to run VR, so a good, dedicated graphics card that is up to the job is required. 

What is the minimum required graphics card for VR gaming? 

Current modern-day GPU options like NVIDIA’s RTX 3050 6GB or AMD’s Radeon RX 6600 8GB will be able to run VR games, but you may need to turn down some video settings if you run into performance issues. 

These are typically the minimum options that we would suggest but older generation graphics card will be able to run VR, such as the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 6GB or the AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB. 

However, you typically want to avoid the lower end graphics cards if you can, as poorer performance from lower end models can cause inconsistent frame rates which lead to nausea and dizziness, ruining your VR gaming experience. 

What is the recommended graphics card for VR gaming? 

NVIDIA’s GeForce series like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB graphics card would be a great option for VR gaming, but any 40 series NVIDIA Graphics Card will also handle VR experiences with good performance. 

Previous gen graphics cards like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB graphics card will be a good option to consider too, as the GPU is more than capable of 1080p gaming, comes with 12GB of VRAM, and includes features such as Ray Tracing and DLSS. 

NVIDIA in general would be the favoured brand over AMD for VR due to its better HEVC encoder support in VR, as well as applications such as NVIDIA VRWorks. 

What is the best budget graphics card for VR gaming? 

We would suggest either the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 8GB or AMD’s Radeon RX 6600 8GB, as both are great options for handling VR gaming on a budget, with their ability to handle 1080p gaming, as well as their 8GB of VRAM. 

Do you need a powerful graphics card for VR gaming? 

Although VR games require a lot of graphics processing power, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you will need the top-of-the-line NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 or AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics card to run. 

You can run VR with mid-range GPU options like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, so don’t be put off that you need to spend thousands of pounds to experience VR gaming.  

Is VR gaming more graphics card or processor intensive? 

For VR gaming, the processor is going to be responsible for keeping track of what is happening in the world, any AI inputs, any player controller movements from your hand controls, and so on. The graphics card is going to handle displaying the game, textures, lighting, shading, shadows, and more.  

You need to have a good balance between the Processor and Graphics card, but with a greater emphasis on the GPU. Depending on how demanding the specific VR game you are using is, this will determine how powerful the video card needs to be, but especially for the more photo-realistic games, a powerful graphics card is a must. 

We wouldn’t recommended running a high-end graphics card with a lower-end processor, as the processor may struggle to allow the graphics card to perform at its best, so you would need to strike a balance between the two to achieve a smooth VR gaming experience. 

Can Ray Tracing run in VR? 

Real-time ray tracing enables dynamic environments in VR games and simulations. Things such as light sources moving or changing, intensity, reflections, and shadows adjusting accordingly in real-time are all powered by ray tracing and help create dynamic and responsive virtual worlds. 

Ray Tracing can be enabled in VR but expect to see a performance decrease when enabled. 

NVIDIA RTX 40 Series GPU’s will be your best option to run Ray Tracing in VR, but even the higher end graphics card option may struggle to natively run this smoothly in VR, so we would suggest not enabling Ray Tracing whilst running VR games. 

How much VRAM is required for VR? 

The safe minimum amount of VRAM for VR Gaming we would suggest is 8GB, but a recommended ideal amount will be 12GB. 

This is why graphics card options like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12GB or the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Super 12GB will be great options to consider when looking to graphics cards for VR gaming. 

Learn more about what VRAM is in our previous blog post: "What is VRAM?"

How much RAM is required for VR? 

RAM also has a role to play for VR performance, but it isn’t as complex compared to when choosing a processor or graphics card for VR gaming. 

Therefore, you would be looking at a minimum of 16GB of RAM for VR gaming, with the current recommended specs, although the sweet spot for running intensive games and VR gaming is 32GB of RAM. This will let your system operate with fluid multi-tasking and without any memory freezing issues, whilst also lasting you for years to come. 

For VR developers, we suggest 64GB or more depending on the software being used. 

Check out our range of VR Ready gaming PCs, which will suit any budget or any performance requirement